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Dragonheart Clan
The Dragonheart Clan was a growing cult during Generation 2 that sought to restore the faith and culture of dracoworshipping. Description Originally a small group of people that followed Skatch as a guiding star, it has since grown into a fully fledged Cult that consists entirely of draco worshippers. Although a religious Cult, its membership and quest acceptance is managed the same way as other Cults in Flurutus for ease of tracking members. While the list of official members is relatively small it has been proven that there are worshippers scattered throughout Flurutus that are not on the Cult registry. While such people are few and far in between their willingness to help official members with their quests in whatever way they can whether it be large or small has played a key role in the Cult’s high success rate. Some even theorize that without this help the Cult would quickly fall into obscurity and eventually disband. Because the Cult takes after its tribal roots as a nomadic group, a large gathering place for its members to meet was never purchased. Instead the Dragonheart Clan has some members manage kiosks near the markets of major cities so that people can submit their quests or apply to join. These quests and applications are then sent to the main camp which is always on the move. Members of the clan fall into one of many categories: regular members who go on quests for the cult and make up the main body of its members, missionary members who actively spread the faith and handle public relations as well as recruitment, and finally Dragonheart members who have chosen to start their own pilgrimage for draconic runes. It is from the Dragonheart title given only to a select few in the faith that the Cult derives its name. The implication is that all members of the clan have the potential to become warriors whose strength and ferocity match that of the draco they worship and try to emulate. Application and Ranks In order to begin the registration process one need only find one of the kiosks and state their intentions. From there the member attending the kiosk at the time will walk the applicant through the process in its entirety. Members aren’t generally told they will need to forfeit their current faith (if any) since it is assumed that at this point most people seeking to join the Cult do so knowing about its religious requirements. In addition to officially signed documentation and the personal approval of the cult master, a potential member must go through a religious ceremony to relinquish all other past faiths and gods and to accept and worship the Draco as their new gods. This ceremony must be performed by at least one missionary. That is of course if a missionary hasn’t already performed the ritual for the applicant. Members of the Cult have the symbol tattooed somewhere on them of their choosing in addition to the rune string “Draco Family.” Whereas other worshipers just have the rune string without the Cult tattoo. The members of the Dragonheart Clan are broken up into three groups: Regulars, Missionaries, and Dragonhearts. *'Regulars' 'Regulars make up the main body of the Cult and are responsible for handling the vast majority of the Cult’s quests. While they all practice the same faith as everyone in the cult this group has a largest variance in dedication to that faith. Members in this group are ranked D-S based on ability and success rate, with S being the highest rank achievable in the group. Newcomers are always ranked D and remain so until they've completed three quests, at which point they get evaluated. Failing all three quests or succeeding in only one will result in their rank remaining the same. Succeeding in two quests will see a rise to the rank of C. Succeeding in all three quests will see a rise to the rank of B which is the highest rank any member with fewer than ten quests under their belt can achieve. After a member's tenth quest they are re-evaluated giving them their first chance at becoming an A rank member. After a member's second evaluation they will be re-evaluated every ten quests from that point on. This means that it is possible for S-rank members to fall back to the A-ranks if they do not consitantly perform and the same is true for all other ranks although no member is ever kicked out of the Cult for poor performance. *'Missionaries 'Missionaries are a smaller group than the Regulars and they focus on expanding the faith as well as handling recruitment for the Cult. This group is almost solely responsible the public relations of the Cult and handle all the religious ceremonies. Because it is a non-combat group there is no ranking process for the missionaries. Only very pious members are permitted to become missionairies. *'Dragonhearts 'This group is more like a branch of the Regulars. Dragonhearts leave the main camp to begin their pilgrimage for a draconic rune. Although technically they become part of this group from the moment they receive their rune blade a Dragonheart doesn’t receive their title until they succeed in their first pilgrimage. Only members who have demonstrated a level of ability equal to a regular of at least ‘A’ rank are permitted to attempt a pilgrimage. Dragonheart members are the only people eligible to succeed Skatch as master and effectively make up the elite members of the guild. Pilgrimages and Rune Blades In order for a member to receive the Dragonheart title they must complete a pilgrimage for a draconic rune. In order to begin a pilgrimage a member must have demonstrated that they have the ability of at least an ‘A’ rank regular and get clearance from either Skatch or the leading missionary who acts as her right hand. This rule was put into place to increase survivability as the pilgrimage is traditionally performed with only minimal aid from others, although working together with other pilgrims is perfectly acceptable. At the start of the pilgrimage a rune blade is forged for the individual to use as the object to receive the draco's blessing. Once outfitted with a rune blade the pilgrim begins their search. In the old days a pilgrimage was a much simpler affair, albeit still a very dangerous one. The people knew exactly where to find draco outside of their floating islands and so travel often followed a very direct rout. Recently however, the draco have moved since the olden days and because of the old tribes near complete annihilation, all of that information was lost. So now pilgrims must actively seek the draco out by scouring every corner of Flurutus. This makes pilgrimages more dangerous than in the past and to top it off many draco aren’t keen on visitors these days and have been known to kill pilgrims on occasion. Every member starting a pilgrimage is outfitted with a Rune Blade. Originally rune blades were all massive broad bladed swords made of metal or stone. However, ever since the official founding of the Dragonheart Clan the term "Rune Blade" has become purely metaphorical. While still always made of either metal or stone modern rune blades do not need to be actual swords nor even weapons at all. Quarterstaffs, spears, armor, even shields have been used as rune blades. This is because what matters are the rituals performed during the selection of materials as well as during the forging process. While these rituals have no actual magical qualities they are an important part of the tradition and culture that the Dragonheart Clan hopes to restore. On occasion Skatch will send members on a pilgrimage instead of waiting for them to apply for permission. Such occasions however, are rare since Skatch only does this if she becomes truly impressed by the individual. Being sent on a pilgrimage by Skatch is tantamount to being named heir to the position of Cult Master. History Although a very new cult the Dragonheart Clan’s traditions and roots date back to the early days of the human race. A small group had splintered off from the swiftly growing human population and was taken under the wing of a curious Draco. The Draco taught these weak diviners how to use runes to amplify their magic. By that point runes were already an antiquated form of magic used by the draco that was only practiced because they were easy to use, but to the weak splinter cell of humans though the runes were a godsend. They allowed even the least talented human to perform magic of noteworthy proportions. The draco was revered for his generosity and power and this reverence was eventually extended to all draco, though it wasn’t until later that the draco became godlike figures to this tribe. The tribe began to grow in power and confidence over time until it attained a particularly ambitious chief. The chief wanted to become ascend to godhood and become a draco himself of course such a thing would never be allowed freely. So the chief sought a means to prove his worthiness. For many years the chief had no success but after the attack on Castlebreak was rebuked the chief finally had an idea. If he could defeat the draco in battle they would have to accept his ability and worthiness. When the religious group of the tribe found out about the chief’s plans they were appalled. They sent word to the draco watching over the tribe of the chief’s treachery. With their pride still sore from battle of Castlebreak the draco would not tolerate more rebellion. In the dead of night a detachment of draco set out and brought their wrath down upon the whole tribe sparing only the religious sect and their families. It was from the survivors that a new tribe was formed, a smaller nomadic one that still worshipped the draco but who were left to their own devices effectively abandoned by their gods. Although members had suggested the tribe begin expanding again such suggestions were quickly shot down as foolish ambition. The reasoning being that when the tribe was large it often had conflicts with other races and of course the kingdom of castlebreak. While most of these conflicts were small skirmishes for land there had been occasions of all out war, not wanting this for their people the new line of elders and chiefs agreed to keep the tribe as small as they could. This didn’t sit with many of the tribesmen and so they left the tribe to seek their own way in the world. The tribe dwindled down over the years until eventually it was little more than an extended family. It was then that a group of bandits targeted the tribe and attacked during the night every man woman and child was either killed or taken prisoner by the bandits. With the people either dead or sold into slavery the tribe had been completely wiped out save for a lone survivor who escaped the clutches of the bandits. Terms *'Pilgrimage 'The act of going on a journey for the draconic blessings in the form of draconic runes. The reason behind each pilgrimage is different for each person. *'Rune Blade 'The tool used for receiving the blessing from a pilgrimage. *'Draconic blessing 'A draconic rune scribed onto a rune blade. *'Dragon ''A tribal euphemism used instead of using the term draco. The more pious members believe using the term draco in regular conversation is like calling a king by his first name without his title to his face. You just don’t do it. Cult Members Cult Master *Skatch (Founder and Current Master) S-rank Dragonhearts A-rank Dragonhearts S-Rank Regulars A-Rank Regulars B-Rank Regulars *Tianlong C-Rank Regulars D-Rank Regulars Missionaries Category:Cults Category:Genesis